White Baneberry

Kendall County (IL) Forest Preserve District

White Baneberry (Doll's Eyes)
Actaea pachypoda [C-value 7]
Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)
Blooms May - mid-June

The native White Baneberry is uncommon in our area. It prefers dappled sunlight to medium shade and moist to slightly moist fertile loamy soil with abundant organic matter. Habitats include rich deciduous woodlands, ravines and shaded seeps. This perennial is 1–2½' tall, usually unbranched, with large alternate compound (2- or 3-pinnate) leaves with groups of 3 leaflets. The leaflets are up to 4" long and 2¼" across and strongly toothed. A raceme of white flowers on a long naked peduncle develops from the axil of the uppermost compound leaf. The raceme is initially about 1½–3" long and short-cylindrical in shape and becomes longer (3-6") when its flowers are replaced with berries. Each raceme has 10-28 flowers on widely spreading stout pedicels. Each flower is about ¼" across with 4-10 white petals. The round berries are up to 1/3" in length, that become bright white when they mature. At the outer end of each berry is a dark spot; hence the other common name "Doll's Eyes".

White Baneberry at Pickerill/Pigott Forest Preserve May 9, 2015

White Baneberry at Harris Forest Preserve May 22, 2015

White Baneberry at Maramech Forest Preserve May 13, 2013

White Baneberry foliage at Richard Young Forest Preserve July 17, 2013

White Baneberry berries ("Doll's Eyes") at Harris Forest Preserve August 7, 2013

White Baneberry berries ("Doll's Eyes") at Pickerill/Pigott Forest Preserve August 20, 2013

Warning: Consuming the berries could kill you. Hence the name “bane”. Make sure children do not eat them. The berries contain cardiogenic toxins that can have an immediate sedative effect on cardiac muscle that can lead to cardiac arrest and death.

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